Coronavirus: virtual tours prove a hit as UAE schools look to welcome new pupils in September

Schools in the UAE are setting up online tours for parents and pupils looking to move schools. Due to the pandemic, many school officials said they had to tweak their enrolment process to offer parents more flexibility. While some schools have noted a reduction in overseas applications, others reported more pupils were transferring from local competitors. Despite the current climate, many private schools are set to welcome hundreds of new pupils from September. Al Salam Community School in Dubai, which opened in September 2019, received many requests from parents and pupils looking to join after the summer break. “We opened with just under 800 pupils and we are expecting to welcome at least 300 new pupils in September,” Kausor Amin-Ali, founding principal, told The National. “We have seen the majority of applicants moving to us from the more premium sector of the education market.